White Sox announce left-hander Martin Perez The end of the 2026 10MM mutual option has been rejected. He will accept a $1.5MM buyout and return to free agency. The Red Sox also announced they triggered the outfielder’s club option louis robert jr.a decision that was previously reported.
Perez turned 35 in April and was coming off a nearly losing season. He signed with the Red Sox in January for a $3.5MM salary guaranteed in 2025 plus the aforementioned mutual option buyout. He made just four starts before elbow inflammation placed him on the injured list. He was diagnosed with a flexor strain and did not return to the club until August. He finished the year with a 3.54 ERA in 56 innings.
Considering he’s a year older now and has less impressive walking numbers this year, his earning power should be down compared to last offseason. This makes his rejection of this option somewhat surprising. Maybe he thought the club would reject him anyway, so he took the initiative to walk away, thereby avoiding the embarrassing situation of triggering the end himself but being rejected by the team.
There will be more to come.
